New Delhi: Ahead of Presidential election, chief ministers of various states are teaming up to counter the BJP. The latest initiative has been taken by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) who will be meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackarey on Sunday.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister is dead against BJP and KCR, who backed the BJP on various issues in Parliament, is off late a fringe sitter. However, the issue of procurement of parboiled rice soured relations between the two and the Prime Minister’s speech on Telangana formation has bittered it further wherein he referred to the procedure on the granting of the statehood.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the Maharashtra Chief Minister extended his full support to the efforts of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief to fight “anti-people” policies of the BJP government at the Centre and for federal justice.
The Shiv Sena leader was all praise for KCR’s fight and told him that to protect the country from “divisive” forces, he has raised his voice at the right time. “You continue the fight for the rights of the states and to protect the unity of the country. March ahead with the same spirit. You will have our full support. In this regard, we will extend all possible help to you to mobilise public support,” the CMO quoted Thackeray as saying.
Not only the Mumbai meet is important but KCR is also meeting M.K. Stalin, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Pinaryi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. Even Mamata Banerjee is likely to travel to Hyderabad to meet KCR. He even received a call from former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda who offered full support to him, but the Chief Ministers teaming up is not good sign for the Congress which may get isolated while the BJP has to search for a consensus candidate for the Presidential elections.
While KCR’s new initiative is to save the fort as BJP is expanding its base in the Telangana and he was forced to take on the BJP due to domestic political compulsion as the party has been bailing out the BJP on key legislations in the upper house since 2014.
The southern states and Maharashtra account for more than 200 Lok Sabha seats which could be crucial in the next Lok Sabha polls and also the states account for large electoral college as Parliament and states account half of it and if regional parties team up, its unlikely that BJP will have a way in the choice of President elections. The outcome of five states which include UP will also impact the elections.
–IANS